Hola, everybody! Time for Drabble Two! Quick shout out to Myusernameisorigional for the drabble idea- I hope I did it justice. :) Enjoy!
Disclaimer: BBC owns all… *sniff*
Drabble 2- He's a what?!
Arthur winced as he stepped on yet another twig, inwardly cursing himself. Normally he was silent in the woods, but then again, he rarely ever hunted at night.
Maybe I should have waited 'till morning. Even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew he wouldn't have. Why spend all night tossing and turning, knowing sleep would elude him? The strains of being King were taking their toll, and Arthur was feeling its effects. Sleep loss was just one of them.
Even though Gaius had assured Arthur that he would adjust, his responsibilities still seemed stifling. As if you even have an excuse anymore, he mentally scolded himself. He'd been King for a while now, after all. Still, out in the woods, with nothing but the cool, crisp night air for company- Arthur's head felt clearer than it had in a while.
Stepping on yet another twig, Arthur sighed aloud. I'm beginning to be as clumsy as Merlin, the king thought dryly to himself. As if summoned by his thoughts, a flash of movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention.
"What the…" Arthur muttered to himself, ducking behind a tree to watch the person. "Is that… Merlin?" The king asked himself under his breath, baffled. What was Merlin doing out in the forest, in the dead of night?
He opened his mouth to call out to his friend- er, manservant- but hesitated. Maybe it would be better to just watch and see what Merlin was doing. A small twang of guilt rippled through him for spying of the man, but he shoved it down. I'm the king. I'll spy on people if I want to, he reassured himself. And if he still felt the tinniest bit guilty- well, no one had to know.
He was jerked from his thoughts by Merlin, who had tilted back his head and-
What on earth is he doing? Arthur thought in bewilderment as Merlin roared at the sky. He almost might have been… talking… but if he was, it certainly wasn't in any language Arthur had heard before.
Then, just as suddenly as he'd started, he stopped. And just stood there.
Merlin, you idiot. What do you think you're doing? Arthur thought to himself as the other man just stood in the middle of the forest clearing. It was almost like he was waiting.
But waiting for what?
A moment later the sound of leathery wings flapping together filled the area, and Arthur got his answer. It was a dragon. The same dragon Arthur himself had already killed! What was going on?!
He was about to yell to Merlin to run, for goodness sakes, when Merlin started talking to it.
"Hello, Kilgharrah," Merlin said to the beast, as if he was greeting another person.
Has he lost his mind?! Arthur mentally screamed, torn between running out and trying to save Merlin, or waiting a bit longer. After all, the beast hadn't actually attacked yet.
"Hello, young warlock," said the dragon. Arthur thought he was going to pass out. It could talk. He was so startled; he almost missed how the dragon called Merlin a warlock- almost. As it was, he had no idea what a warlock was.
"I see you've been successful once again," the dragon commented, eyeing Merlin critically. Successful with what?
"I was," Merlin agreed. "Although it was harder than I thought it was going to be. Arthur almost saw me."
Saw what? Arthur wondered, frustrated.
"I wish I could tell him," Merlin added, sounding as frustrated as Arthur felt. "It'd be so much easier."
"The young King is not yet ready," Kilgharrah warned. "For the time being, your influence must remain secret."
"Yeah, yeah," Merlin mumbled. "I know. I just don't like lying to him."
Lying to me?! Arthur thought, stunned. Merlin couldn't lie to save his life! Still, uneasiness twisted in the pit of Arthur's stomach. He hadn't known Merlin could talk to dragons, for gods' sake.
How could he talk to dragons, anyway? It wasn't like he was a… Oh no. Was it possible that Merlin, his clumsy manservant, was a Dragon Lord?
But Balinor was the last Dragon Lord! Arthur thought almost desperately to himself. For Merlin to be a Dragon Lord, he would have had to be Balinor's…
Oh no.
Had Balinor been Merlin's father? Arthur knew the talent was passed down through family- Gaius had told him once as a child. Suddenly Merlin's reaction to Balinor's death made painful sense.
And Arthur had told him… Oh no. He felt like such a fool. How had he been so blind? Of course Merlin had been upset!
Back in the clearing, Merlin bid the dragon goodbye and watched as the beast flew off. Arthur watched numbly as Merlin turned and walked into the forest on the other side of the clearing, heading back to Camelot and disappearing from view.
Merlin was a Dragon Lord. A Dragon Lord! The title seemed to echo in Arthur's skull, daring him to deny it after seeing undeniable evidence with his own eyes.
How had he not noticed?!
And here he had thought he'd known everything there was to know about his friend. In his shocked state, Arthur's mind barely registered that he'd called Merlin his friend.
His friend… his friend who was a Dragon Lord… his friend who, if the laws were to be abided, should be executed.
Arthur couldn't do that.
Looks like I'll be keeping your secret, he thought to himself. At least I know the truth now!
Oh, Arthur… if only you knew ;) So, the next drabble might be a follow-up, where Arthur confronts Merlin about what he's seen- maybe. Let me know if you guys would like to see that or not! Until next time!